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Staff Favorites - Ralph Sands

Ralph is the senior Bordeaux specialist on the sales staff. In between trying to break into professional baseball, Ralph was picking up hours at a K&L store in Millbrae. Back then it was more about kegs and cheap booze, and both Ralph and K&L have evolved since that time. Since those long ago days in 1978, Ralph has visited his beloved Bordeaux 37 times, evaluated 19 straight vintages and has escorted over 200 customers to Bordeaux on his "Taste and Golf the Greats Tours of Bordeaux". Ralph has also conducted tasting seminars in 9 different states as well as in France, Spain and Hong Kong. Ralph's passion for wine reaches far beyond Bordeaux; to the fine wine regions of Burgundy, Loire, Rhone, Germany, Oregon and of course his home state of California.

Lots of lovely, exotic, grapey fruit; elegant and precise. Tasty, with a long finish. Pichon-Lalande is back in a big way after complete reconstruction of the vinification facility and the way the fruit is handled. Two stars. **

Lots of lovely, exotic, grapey fruit; elegant and precise. Tasty, with a long finish. Pichon-Lalande is back in a big way after complete reconstruction of the vinification facility and the way the fruit is handled. Two stars. **

Sweet, saturated red-black fruits on the nose; in the mouth, red fruits and chocolate. Good middle texture and long, polished tannins. Everything in perfect focus and balance—just lovely. Two and a half stars!

Sweet, saturated red-black fruits on the nose; in the mouth, red fruits and chocolate. Good middle texture and long, polished tannins. Everything in perfect focus and balance—just lovely. Two and a half stars!

While the first wine is all power and a bit closed on the nose the opposite is on display here. Incredibly attractive aromas of black fruits and violets, classic claret as it is firm and fresh. Lots to like! 1 Star

While the first wine is all power and a bit closed on the nose the opposite is on display here. Incredibly attractive aromas of black fruits and violets, classic claret as it is firm and fresh. Lots to like! 1 Star

Duhart Milon- Strong dark wine with deep fruit, flavors of blackberry jam and grilled meats, good middle fruit and tannin control. More flesh and lots to like here. Very good and better then Carraudes de Lafite. 1.5/3 Stars

Clerc Milon- Definitely in the classic style of Mouton but with a touch more forward sweet which is nice, but is still very concentrated. Long serious wine and should be one of the great aging values. 1.5 Stars

Very deep and powerful with underlying sweet fruits of black cherry and herbal notes. This wine is very classic, strong with laser beam focus and brisk acidity. One of the long runners in 2014. 2 stars!

This is a very interesting, complex and tasty blend. The old vine fruit is deep and sweet, but not fruity. Round in the mouth and nicely developed with flavors of kirsch and cassis, interacting with hints of black licorice, smoke and earth all leading to a strong Grenache finish. Like it, and good to go now!

A great vintage of Valandraud at this price; I am all in! As always, this wine exhibits deep, saturated purple fruit, sweet blackberry fruit on nose with toasty oak. On the palate exotic flavors of chocolate and blackcherry lead to a dry finish. This wine features the hallmark qualities of the outstanding 2005 vintage; purity of fruit, with great acidity and fantastic freshness! Ralph Sands

One of the most exciting Chardonnays I have tasted in many years. If you love big, buttery and rich Chardonnays this wine is NOT for you. But... if you love great Chablis and Puligny Montrachet you will love this wine as it comes off as a combination of both of those famous wine regions in the glass. Both of those regions have gone crazy price-wise, which makes this wine even more unbelievable for $22.99! Loaded with intense green apple fruit, great freshness a touch of flintyness and lazer beam focus. Just incredible and always in my vacation box of wine!. Enjoy! -Ralph

Huge layers of silky, ripe black fruits and the fact that it smells like Zinfandel define this wine! Behind all of this fruit is brisk acidity and a long finish. This wine will be controversial, but it is undeniably super tasty! *½

Striking aromas of strong Cabernet Sauvignon (82%) jump out of the glass followed by dark, bold, powerful fruit. This wine is classic claret: firm, honest and perfectly balanced. No question, it is one of the top wines of the vintage and one of the best cellar candidates. *½

Everyone should be aware that Delphine Colasa and winemaker Marjolaine Maurice-de-Coninck have turned this estate (and sister Ch. Marquis D'Alesme) around in just a few years; the wines are so much better now! Hats off! Labegorce has attractive-plump Merlot (53%) fruit with cassis, spice and earth. (Marquis d'Alseme is very bright and has more sparkling blue fruits and distinct minerality.) Both are star wines. *

Sweet raspberries and black fruits, very floral, with herbal notes and earth all pulled together by round, firm tannins and a very long finish. Tasted twice. I'm 56 years old and Cantemerle is now my #1 favorite château, and I seriously doubt that will ever change. The reason is simple: great, complex wine, consistent quality and a fair price. A winner every time! **

** 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Lovely aromas of red roses and warm spices. Much rounder and deeper than the Pavillon. May not possess the weight and length of a great vintage, but does have the velvety texture the château is famous for. Lovely, charming and will drink well young.

The nose of a great Ch. Margaux is there, followed by medium-bodied sweetness and impeccable balance. A strict selection of 38% of the crop went into the first wine but is a prime example of how difficult this vintage was. *½

The nose of a great Ch. Margaux is there, followed by medium-bodied sweetness and impeccable balance. A strict selection of 38% of the crop went into the first wine but is a prime example of how difficult this vintage was. *½

Serious business, a powerful expression of concentrated reds fruits that are fresh and attractive. The key is the long finish. Great vineyard, great wine. (The Petite Lion is the second wine, a bit lighter in body but super clean and has all freshness as well as nice tannins.) **

Record 80% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, good, powerful firm fruit with sweet tannins. Zesty acid, serious wine. This estate as well as Ch. Du Tertre are on a fine roll under the direction of Alexandre Van Beek. *½

Smith stays true to their international style by making a deliciously rich and round wine with lots of red-blue fruits and a warm, soft mouth feel. A touch of spice, minerality and tannin on the finish. Lovely mid-term drinker. *

This is my pick for Bordeaux that is drinking well but won't break the bank! I was in Bordeaux in 2005 for a big blind tasting of 1995 wines from California vs Bordeaux, when a negociant told me the new young director of Ch. Brown Jean-Christophe Mau was going to do great things at Ch. Brown (they've had vines planted there since the 12th century). I agreed to go and meet him at his other estate (Preuillac) located in the far reaches/middle of nowhere of the upper Medoc. I found him perched 15 feet above the ground on a portable sorting table helping to sort out the non perfect fruit. I could tell this guy was passionate and intense. He invited me to visit him at Ch. Brown and I found him doing the same thing there but in the winery. The Brown wine always had a rustic-tough feel to it but Jean-Christophe told me that he was confident that after he analyzed the condition and health of every vine on the property and greatly reduced yields, that he would make wine of great purity without the rustic edge. I've tasted the wine every year since in April and the wine has improved dramatically.

** Established in 1525! The 64% Merlot in the blend pretty much tells the story of 2012. They started to pick the Merlot on Sept 17th and in good conditions. This wine is so delicious, rich but not heavy and seriously grapey. This wine is perfectly extracted with a lovely long finish. I love it.

** Established in 1725!There is just no stopping the fantastic roll of quality here! The perfectly ripe blueberry and blackberry fruit is focused and is amazingly fresh! Firm but round tannins and new oak is the framework for this great tasting PC that is accessible and invigorating. Hats off to Alfred Tesseron for giving the world good reason to be excited about buying the best wines made in 2012 as he drops his price to 1/3 the price of his 2009 and 2010 now in the marketplace.

** Established in 1725!There is just no stopping the fantastic roll of quality here! The perfectly ripe blueberry and blackberry fruit is focused and is amazingly fresh! Firm but round tannins and new oak is the framework for this great tasting PC that is accessible and invigorating. Hats off to Alfred Tesseron for giving the world good reason to be excited about buying the best wines made in 2012 as he drops his price to 1/3 the price of his 2009 and 2010 now in the marketplace.

** Established in 1725! There is just no stopping the fantastic roll of quality here! The perfectly ripe blueberry and blackberry fruit is focused and is amazingly fresh. Firm but round tannins and new oak is the framework for this great tasting PC that is accessible and invigorating. Hats off to Alfred Tesseron for giving the world good reason to be excited about buying the best wines made in 2012 as he drops his price to 1/3 the price of his 2009 and 2010 now in the marketplace.